Vegeterian curry with ALL the trimmings

I can’t wait to get through the Jamie Oliver 30 minute meals book because it is slowly killing me. This book is like a relationship, all the things that at first I loved about the book are the very things that I now loathe. How can you possible prepare 4 dishes in half an hour and then not sit down to a heart attack? This stupid book is no longer about cooking, it is about some crazy challenge of finishing the dish in under an hour, serving it and then allowing your heart rate to come down to a level where you can actually sit down and enjoy the meal. If only he didn’t call the book 30 minute meals.

In terms of taste this meal is really delicious and all the components make it interesting and really work well together. It would be a good vegetarian dish to cook for a dinner party!

For the curry:  peel and slice the onions and add to the large pan with a some water and olive oil.

Cut and peel the butternut squash into 1cm pieces .Add to the pan. Trim the cauliflower and remove the outer leaves. Cut it into bite-sized chunks, and throw them into the pan. If you want some extra heat, slice up the chilli and add it now. Crush in the unpeeled garlic. Finely chop the coriander (stalks and all). Reserve a few leaves for garnish and add the rest to the pan with a couple of generous splashes of boiled water. Add the rogan josh paste and the tin of chickpeas, with their juices. Season and stir well, then put a lid on. Cook over a medium to high heat stirring occasionally and adding water if it is a little dry. Once all the vegies are soft stir through the spinach.

Cook the rice as you normally would, and season with a little salt.


For the Carrot Salad: Toast the almonds in a small pan on a medium heat, tossing occasionally until golden.Tip into a small bowl. Wash and trim the carrots. Grate them along with the chilli (stalks and seeds removed), the top third of a bunch of coriander and a peeled 2cm piece of ginger. Tip into a serving bowl.

Drizzle a lug of extra virgin olive oil over the salad and add a pinch of salt. Finely grate in a little lemon zest, then add a good squeeze of lemon juice. Toss well. Sprinkle over the toasted almonds and half of the reserved coriander leaves, and take to the table.

Serve with some natural yogurt and some pappadams. You can do the pappadams in the microwave by lay them out so they don’t overlap, cover with some kitchen paper and cook for 45 seconds.

CURRY
2 onions
1 medium butternut squash
1 small cauliflower
optional: 1 fresh red chilli
4 cloves of garlic
a bunch of fresh coriander
½ a 283g jar of Patak's rogan joshpaste
1 x 400g tin of chickpeas
100g prewashed baby spinach

RICE
1 mug of basmati rice

CARROT SALAD
a handful of flaked almonds
5 or 6 carrots
1 fresh red chilli
a bunch of fresh coriander
a 2cm piece of fresh ginger
1 lemon

TO SERVE
1 packet of poppadoms
1 x 500g tub of natural yoghurt